Originally Posted by
sargeanb
Sadly, it seems HR controls the process now...if you dont "score" well enough, you never get a call...it doesnt matter how well fellow pilots think of you. I despise this, but that's the way it is.
Sorry to be a bit fatalist...I do appreciate the advice. I think, sadly, the key is going to these job fairs. As much as I hate the game, it looks like playing it is the only way in.
Unfortunately you may be right- the only way to get to where you desire to be is to play the game, whether you like it or not.
Perhaps your 10 years at a regional with little else added to the resume since has created the impression that you're complacent with your career (due to stagnation) to the HR matrix that pick and choose who gets called for interviews etc.
I have several friends who bit the bullet and went to U/LCCs and were called to legacies within 24 months of their arrival there. If you're absolutely hell bent on a legacy someday, theres always the AA WO regionals with flow agreements, but starting over the at bottom of a regional is probably less appealing than starting over at the bottom of a LCC.
You've got 29 years left before you retire... however with the pilot shortage your regional may not exist for anywhere near that long. You have to decide when its worth it to start at a company that is a career destination vs a contract carrier, and where you'll finish better financially if the legacy call never comes (and unfortunately there will be folks it never comes for). Going to a LCC that isn't your dream location is a gamble, however staying put at your regional maybe an even bigger gamble.